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Can Kings-Sharks repeat last year's seven-game beauty?

The most goals in one playoff season in the salary cap era. Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had 15 goals in 24 games when the Penguins won the Cup in 2009. Tied for second for the most goals in one spring with 14 are Fernando Pisani of the Edmonton Oilers in 2006 and Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators in 2007.

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The Early Word: These two teams met in the second round last spring as the sixth (Sharks) and fifth (Kings) seeds and it was a seven-game beauty with each team winning once in the other team’s barn before the Kings finally prevailed 2-1 in Game 7 in L.A. The Sharks are sixth in the league in goals scored, the Kings, 26th. The Kings are first in the league in defence and the Sharks are fifth. This is going to come down to Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick coming up with a performance like he did a couple of years ago when the Kings won the Cup and he won the Conn Smythe. The Kings just seem to have that little bit more grit and the addition of scorer Marian Gaborik might have the same effect in boosting the Kings’ meager offence as the arrival of Jeff Carter two years ago.

RECORDS:

San Jose Sharks: 51-22-9

L.A. Kings: 46-28-8

2013-14 season series: Los Angeles won three of the five games. Both teams claimed one victory in overtime

Playoffs: San Jose 7-6, (Two series all-time)

STRENGTHS

Sharks: Skating arguably most dangerous top-six group of forwards in the league, San Jose received a huge boost with rookie Tomas Hertl returning from a knee injury in time for the playoffs. Here's a scary thought for any opponent: San Jose's leading scorer wasn't named Thornton, Marleau, Burns or Couture. It was Joe Pavelski. Their veteran-laden blueline is led by Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who has come out of the shadows.

Kings: If defence wins championships, this is your team. The Kings have a solid roster all the way through, but the backbone is most definitely goalie Jonathan Quick and a defensive corps headlined by Drew Doughty. It's a big mystery why the Kings are such a low-scoring team, but they have plenty of players who can chip in and don't need many goals to claim 2-1 wins night after night after night.

WEAKNESSES

Sharks: Is there a Stanley Cup winning goalie not named Marc-Andre Fleury who receives less respect than San Jose's Antti Niemi? The Sharks netminder is right up there in wins and goals-against average among starters, but is seen in a similar fashion as the likes of Chicago's Corey Crawford: Good, not great. It may not be fair, but that's the way it is.

Kings: Despite all their talent, the Kings barely cracked the 200-goal mark. Sure, their defence is darn near unbeatable, but there's a reason they grabbed the mercurial Marian Gaborik at the trade deadline in the hopes of finding anybody to be a gamebreaker. Another issue is how they run the risk of wearing themselves down with such a physical style. It was a factor in last year's Western Conference final.

INTANGIBLES

Sharks: Once again, the Sharks head into the playoffs with high hopes and limited belief around the league. No team has spent so many years on the verge of hoisting the Stanley Cup before falling short with such regularity. It's like watching a horror flick -- you know from the start that the annoying character will eventually get axed, it's just a matter of time. Those failed expectations of the past will be mentioned constantly until the Sharks finally win.

Kings: If it's not defencemen Robyn Regehr, Willie Mitchell or Matt Greene giving you bruises, it's forwards such as Dustin Brown or Jordan Nolan. That kind of beating wears down a team over a seven-game series, just ask the Sharks after last year's set. The Kings also have plenty of playoff experience, having won the Cup in 2012, and also the confidence of beating San Jose a year ago in a rugged seven-game series.

POSSIBLE HEROES

Sharks: Third-line winger Tommy Wingels led the Sharks with game-winning goals, an act he can take into the second season.

Kings: Centre Jarret Stoll not only has the ability to produce in big moments, but is a faceoff ace for those late-second tying goals.

LINES

SHARKS

FORWARDS

Joe Pavelski-Joe Thornton-Brent Burns

Patrick Marleau-Logan Couture-Matt Nieto

Tomas Hertl-James Sheppard-Tommy Wingels

Tyler Kennedy-Andrew Desjardins-Martin Havlat

DEFENCE

Marc-Edouard Vlasic-Jason Demers

Justin Braun-Brad Stuart

Matt Irwin-Dan Boyle

GOAL

Antti Niemi

Alex Stalock

KINGS

FORWARDS

Marian Gaborik-Anze Kopitar-Justin Williams

Jeff Carter-Mike Richards-Jordan Nolan

Dwight King-Jarret Stoll-Dustin Brown

Kyle Clifford-Trevor Lewis-Tyler Toffoli

DEFENCE

Robyn Regehr-Slava Voynov

Jake Muzzin-Drew Doughty

Alec Martinez-Willie Mitchell

GOAL

Jonathan Quick

Martin Jones

THE BOTTOM LIN

Last season's second-round series between these clubs was as physical as any set in the playoffs, and needed all seven games to decide a winner, with the home team claiming every game. Expect something similar and for the Kings' stifling defence to again be the difference by the smallest of margins.